THE Liverpool office of CB Richard Ellis has completed what it believes is the largest office letting in the city so far this year.

THE Liverpool office of CB Richard Ellis has completed what it believes is the largest office letting in the city so far this year.

The Immigration and Nationality Directorate, a division of the Home Office, has taken 41,000 sq ft of Graeme House, in Derby Square.

The accommodation will now be completely refurbished ready for between 200 and 250 workers who will move in in 2006.

They will be involved in processing applications for British citizenship from foreign nationals - a function currently performed in nearby India Building.

Chris Hennessy from CBRE, who acted on behalf of the building owner Downing Developments, told the Daily Post the space was being let out at rentals of between £7.50 and £10.75 per sq ft.

He said: "We think this is the largest letting in the Liverpool office market this year. It is a good sign because the market has been fairly slow so far this year."

The deal comes just over a year after CBRE was formed from the merger of two large property companies - CB Hillier Parker and Insignia Richard Ellis.

During the last 12 months, the North West team of the enlarged business has been busy.

It has let and acquired around 2.4m sq ft in the region and is currently marketing

3.4m sq ft. The firm has also undertaken £120m worth of transactions in the North West and has valued £2bn of offices. In Liverpool it has valued around £100m of space.

CBRE manages some 13m sq ft in the North West in more than 400 properties with some 1,600 tenancies. | THE Ethel Austin Property Group has reported pre-tax profits for 2003 of just over £9m with its combined assets growing to £111.8m.

Finance director Andrew Lovelady revealed that the gross value of assets held under Asset Management had further increased during the current year from £336m to £410m. | EDWARD SYMMONS is marketing for sale a site at Cedar Street in Bootle for possible development.

Offers are being sought for the site, which comprises just under one acre, in excess of £450,000.

It is located adjacent to the Leeds Liverpool canal and close to Bootle's New Strand Shopping Centre. | FOR more details, contact Robert Diggle or Graham Bowling on 0151 236 8454.